You might be worried that this blog is developing a Stephen Hawking obsession. Following on from the Stephen Hawking statue and the Stephen Hawking tattoo* comes the news of the Stephen Hawking retirement.

The BBC says:

The physicist, who has motor neurone disease, will give up his position as Cambridge University’s Lucasian Professor of Mathematics next year.

The university said it was policy for holders of the title to retire at 67 and Prof Hawking will be 67 in January.

However it’s not bad news for Hawking fans, as a spokeswoman for the university told the Daily Telegraph he would continue to work, just as Emeritus Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. “The post is retiring but Hawking isn’t,” she said. “Nothing will change. It is merely a formality.”

If you fancy applying to be the next Lucasian Professor, the advert is now online. “Applications are invited from persons working on mathematics applied to the physical world, with strong preference for the broad area of theoretical physics,” it says.

• He was the subject, not the canvas